Former Congressman Anthony Weiner is taking another step back onto the political stage after the sexting scandal that upended his career.
Weiner has co-authored an opinion piece about the suffering in the Rockaways following Hurricane Sandy. The column, written with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens), appears in Wednesday’s Daily News.
READ WEINER AND MEEK’S DAILY NEWS OP-ED
Weiner said he was simply trying to shine a spotlight on the battered and frequently forgotten neighborhood, which he represented in Congress for more than a decade.
“I care very deeply about the people in Rockaway as well as Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay,” he said in a brief interview with the News.
“I owe them my political career and they have been very good to my family. I want to make sure their plight is known.”
Weiner said the op-ed is not part of a plan to repair his public image – but it’s sure to stoke new talk of a potential political comeback.
Weiner stayed out of the spotlight after resigning his congressional seat last year. He said he wanted to heal his relationship with his wife, Huma Abedin, after “the damage I have caused.”
He first emerging from his self-imposed exile in July, granting an interview to People magazine and posing for pictures with Abedin their newborn son.
Last month, he took another step, reactivating his long-dormant Twitter account to send out a call for help in the Rockaways – fueling talk of a potential political comeback in the process.
Weiner, who still sits on a potential campaign warchest of $3.9 million, was considered a favorite in next year’s mayoral race until his resignation.
Several politicos believe he is eyeing a future run for office.
“This is Anthony Weiner putting his toe in the [POLITICAL]water,” Prof. Doug Muzzio of Baruch College said Tuesday. “He shows some leadership and he sees how it is received.”
The ex-congressman on Tuesday declined to speak about his political future.
Several people close to him insisted that his return is born out of care for his former constituents, though they acknowledged that there was also no political downside.
“It is a chance to advocate for a community he cares about – no harm in that,” said one member of Weiner’s inner circle. “If it also puts him in a better position, so be it.”
